Author
Topic: Missing Church? (Read 766 times)

There's a Greek Orthodox Church here in town that meets today, and usually I will go. But the roads are very bad where I live, icy and snow covered, and I can't go today. It's through no fault of my own, but it did get me thinking. When I was a Catholic, it was considered a mortal sin to miss Mass, unless there was a reason (such as bad roads, sickness, etc). I was just wondering if there was a similar teaching in Orthodoxy? Is missing the Liturgy considered a serious sin?

"Who wants to be consistent? The dullard and the doctrinaire, the tedious people who carry out their principles to the bitter end of action, to the reductio ad absurdum of practice. Not I."-Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying

I am not aware of a rule, but if we miss too much, someone may call or e-mail to see how we are doing. Seems like missing 2 in a row is acceptable, whereas missing 3 will cause parishioners or my priest to wonder.

Missing three consecutive Sundays deliberately (i.e., you had a reasonable choice and chose not to attend. Driving on unsafe roads would likely not be any kind of reasonable choice) requires you to go to confession and be reconciled to the Church before communing again.

You've never heard of the infamous "miss three liturgies in a row and you're excommunicated" rule? I have no idea if it's real, but it's been floating around the interwebs for a long time...

It comes from Canon 80 of the Council of Trullo in 692.

"CANON LXXX.

IF any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or any of those who are enumerated in the list of the clergy, or a layman, has no very grave necessity nor difficult business so as to keep him from church for a very long time, but being in town does not go to church on three consecutive Sundays--three weeks--if he is a cleric let him be deposed, but if a layman let him be cut off."

There are many canons from this council that have become the de facto norm for the Orthodox of today, while there are many that are not strictly enforced. It would be best to get specific direction from your priest about the issue to see how he and the bishop apply this canon.

Wow, that's in Trullo, and I never noticed it? I feel like such a newb

You don't have every canon, local or ecumenical, memorised? Anathema!

Logged

"Who wants to be consistent? The dullard and the doctrinaire, the tedious people who carry out their principles to the bitter end of action, to the reductio ad absurdum of practice. Not I."-Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying

When I posed a similar question to my priest (I often have to work on Sundays), this is what he told me; If you have good reason for missing Liturgy like work, bad weather, illness, then there is no sin. If however you volunteer not to go and you miss Liturgy continuously, then in effect, you have ex-communicated yourself.

I hope this helps a little. But, as we say 'round these parts, "Ask your priest."

Logged

"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying